Authoritarian power enforces people to obey laws and help bring order to society, preventing the deconstruction of an organized civilization. The authority is usually held by a powerful individual or a group of individuals that generally use their power to better the societal structure. In addition, citizens living under authoritarianism usually respect and follow the laws that were previously put in place. In William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, Piggy attempts to enforce social laws and order on the island after the plane crash. Piggy encourages Ralph to blow the conch to unite the remanding children and set up a social system reflecting that of their prior lives. Initially, the children respect the authority, but overtime, the temptation
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Piggy’s failure to enforce authority proves that the children are natural savages that lack order and a civilized mindset. As a direct result of his internal struggles with self confidence, Piggy lacks authoritarian power which is subdued by the increase in savagery, ultimately proving that authority is naturally non existent on the island. Piggy’s internal struggles prevent him from having authoritarian power due to his lack of confidence. Despite being more knowledgeable than the other boys, Piggy has difficulties voicing his opinions as the other children often ignore him. This lowers Piggy’s self esteem as he becomes more silent in group settings and generally accepts others’ opinions rather than expressing his own thoughts and ideas. With this exclusion, he is viewed as an outcast by the other children which prevents him from having any power or influence upon the group. This results in Piggy becoming dependent on Ralph’s support and confirmation as he “glanced nervously into hell and cradled the conch” (Golding 44), instead of confronting Jack after the forest fire. As a result of lacking self confidence, Piggy begins to question if he has the right to speak rather than just speaking his mind, even though he is already …show more content…
As Piggy fails to enforce authoritarianism among the boys, Jack rises to power using brute force and takes advantage of the increase in savagery, further limiting Piggy’s influence. The transition from civilization to savagery occurs quickly among the boys, as they were tempted to follow Jack’s actions and ignore the rules and consequences of authority. In addition, the children drifts further from civilization by participating in pig hunts, mock pig hunts, and killing other children. The ultimate fall of civilization occurs when Roger released the rock that “struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee [and making] the conch to explode into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). Roger throwing rocks around Henry foreshadows Piggy’s death as the increase in savagery allows him to intentionally kill Piggy without feeling guilty. By killing Piggy, who tries to enforce authority, and destroying the conch, which symbolizes order, it proves that the boys are rebelling against the rules of an organized society. Although prior to his death, Piggy makes multiple attempts to decrease the savagery, but fail as the children rather listen Jack. The children avoid authority as they feel limited by the rules and consequences, which increases their gravitation towards Jack. They view joining Jack’s tribe as an escape from authority and an opportunity to
Piggy’s failure to enforce authority proves that the children are natural savages that lack order and a civilized mindset. As a direct result of his internal struggles with self confidence, Piggy lacks authoritarian power which is subdued by the increase in savagery, ultimately proving that authority is naturally non existent on the island. Piggy’s internal struggles prevent him from having authoritarian power due to his lack of confidence. Despite being more knowledgeable than the other boys, Piggy has difficulties voicing his opinions as the other children often ignore him. This lowers Piggy’s self esteem as he becomes more silent in group settings and generally accepts others’ opinions rather than expressing his own thoughts and ideas. With this exclusion, he is viewed as an outcast by the other children which prevents him from having any power or influence upon the group. This results in Piggy becoming dependent on Ralph’s support and confirmation as he “glanced nervously into hell and cradled the conch” (Golding 44), instead of confronting Jack after the forest fire. As a result of lacking self confidence, Piggy begins to question if he has the right to speak rather than just speaking his mind, even though he is already …show more content…
As Piggy fails to enforce authoritarianism among the boys, Jack rises to power using brute force and takes advantage of the increase in savagery, further limiting Piggy’s influence. The transition from civilization to savagery occurs quickly among the boys, as they were tempted to follow Jack’s actions and ignore the rules and consequences of authority. In addition, the children drifts further from civilization by participating in pig hunts, mock pig hunts, and killing other children. The ultimate fall of civilization occurs when Roger released the rock that “struck Piggy a glancing blow from chin to knee [and making] the conch to explode into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist” (Golding 181). Roger throwing rocks around Henry foreshadows Piggy’s death as the increase in savagery allows him to intentionally kill Piggy without feeling guilty. By killing Piggy, who tries to enforce authority, and destroying the conch, which symbolizes order, it proves that the boys are rebelling against the rules of an organized society. Although prior to his death, Piggy makes multiple attempts to decrease the savagery, but fail as the children rather listen Jack. The children avoid authority as they feel limited by the rules and consequences, which increases their gravitation towards Jack. They view joining Jack’s tribe as an escape from authority and an opportunity to